Hyperhidrosis Revealed

Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excessive sweating. Everybody sweats, but excessive sweating is uncomfortable and embarrassing. Huge sweat stains, body odors, and general discomfort are all problems associated with hyperhidrosis. Many people suffer from excessive sweating and it is taking its toll.

If you suffer from hyperhidrosis, you may have feel anxious, depressed and frustrated. You may avoid social situations and when you do you end up wearing dark clothing to hide any symptoms. Your medicine cabinet is probably filled up with a variety of antiperspirants and deodorants that are not cheap to come by.

Many factors cause hyperhidrosis including exercise, hot and humid weather, stress, anxiety and more. Excessive sweating after a long work out is probably nothing to worry about. But excessive sweating from other causes may be heredity. This type of hyperhidrosis causes the central nervous system to overproduce sweat.

Hyperhidrosis can vary in type including axillary, pedal and palmar, which correlate to excessive sweating of the palms, feet, face and underarms. Excessive sweating can also lead to dehydration and skin fungal infections.

Over the counter deodorants and antiperspirants cannot come close to solving the problems of excessive sweating. Other treatments sufferers use include medicines that contain glycopyrolate, propentheline, and ditropan. All of these are anticholinergic.

A topical treatment is a medical grade antiperspirant named Drysol. Tap water iontophoresis can also alleviate excessive sweating. These treatments are treatments of the symptoms only, as a cure for hyperhidrosis does not yet exist. Many of these treatments also have unwanted side effects.

Botox injections are now being used because they do not have major side effects. Botox is botulinum toxin type A. It stops the sweat glands from making sweat. This treatment can be effective for up to 15 months when it is injected below the skin. Botox does carry some minor side effects such as bruising, irritation at the injection side and headaches. All of these are temporary and do subside. If you are pregnant or nursing, or suffer from Myasthenia Gravis, you should not undergo Botox therapy.

While sweating is a normal bodily function to keep the body cool, hyperhidrosis is sweating excessively and is a problem. Hyperhidrosis is classified as sweating more than 20 mg of sweat on the palm per minute. 2% of the entire population has this condition, although only 40% of those that have it undergo any medication intervention.

Hyperhidrosis usually affects limited parts of the body, but it can affect the entire body. Primary hyperhirdrosis is hereditary, but secondary hyperhidrosis can have underlying causes such as anxiety, cancer, heart or lung disease, glucose disorders, spinal cord injury, stroke, menopause, or even the result of a serious injury.